More research in last 10 years on neuroscience and habit
formation (almost 1500 studies this year) – in a golden age of neuroscience.
FMRI and more insight into the brain. But just because it’s published will mean
it will work in the wild.

At Kairos Labs they partner with 100+ behavioral scientists.

So what do we know?

You can’t just say, you need more willpower. What we now know: willpower is a muscle. It
must be exercised often. It’s expendable. It goes up and down.

The fallacy is that willpower is every increasing.

In Switch – Behavioral Economics – motivation and willpower
is like riding the elephant. Willpower is like an elephant that we’re trying to
ride and steer.

But now we know even more than that – we don’t have just one
elephant. We have many motivations.

Instead of an elephant, think of it as a pack of wolves.
Each wolf is a different willpower/motivation.

We ride motivation waves. Motivation has a tide that comes
in and out. You have to think about where someone is on that wave when you
introduce training or behavior change. Can’t assume everyone comes with the
same motivation.

“neurons that fire together wire together” (when we do
things in close sequence, those neurons start to wire together)

Sequencing. Small
baby steps. You want to teach a series of small steps. “The science of small
wins.” ~ John Wooden

If you put on your socks properly, you won’t get blisters
and so you won’t get pulled out of the game. He also had a play for properly
tying your shoes.

#1 Trigger:

You have to have a cue to start the habit. A “hot” trigger. Something you can do right
now – an ACT NOW button.

The hot trigger has to occur in the context for the user.

It must be an observable marker – audio of visual. Thoughts
or emotions don’t make for hot triggers. “Every time I feel sad, I will write
in my journal” is not a hot trigger. It won’t create a behavior change.

If you make the cue something that the person already does –
e.g., put your toothbrush down in the sink will be your cue to floss. So the
cue fits in easily.

Think about the context of the hot trigger.

#2 Babystep the
routine:

First mistake people make – they make the routine TOO BIG.

Instead, babystep it. Communicate it in 5 words or less –
like a bumper sticker.

It has to come right after the cue. You have to do it
immediately.

Don’t ask people to keep track of time; don’t attach a time
unit. Tracking time is a second cognitive process.

Use proximal and not distal goals. Distal = long term.
Rewards are more quickly retained if they have a nearer return.

Make it too small to fail. “After I put on my running shoes,
I will run around the block.”

#3 Conditioned
Reinforcement = the reward:

You have to present the reward IMMEDIATELY after the
routine.

If you give an annual reward, performance actually goes
down. Give the reward right after the success.

It only means YES. The reward needs to be a clear indicator.

Make the routine its own reward. (After you run you get high
– the brain rewards you with dopamine. The running creates its own reward. Some
runners start to feel that rush when they put on their shoes. Neurons that fire
together, wire together).

Making it social. If you practice your habits in a social
context (and not just online, but in the real world) – do a high five and
physically touch each other to release oxytocin to further reinforce the
habits. Teams that high-five feel better.

Endowment effect. People who pick their own numbers believe they
have a better chance of winning. When you STORE YOUR EFFORT (you fill out your
own #s on the powerball form) you endow it.

We have conflated views of our expertise. As we invest in an
activity or behavior, we seek to be consistent with past behavior. And we think we are better than we are.

Example: In Sweden, traffic speed monitor -- every time you go through the intersection BELOW the speed limit, you get a thumbs up on the sign in the square AND a lottery ticket. At the end of the month, the winner gets the money from all the fines that people who sped through the intersection had to pay.

At Starbucks, they aim to get customers in and out in three minutes. The cue = after the customer gives me their order and name, I announce their order and name out loud. The reward = they send in mystery shoppers who check how stores are doing with their three minute goal. If the store does well, they get a store bonus. Baristas who do well get a black apron. That's their customer snapshot score. They saw astounding improvements when they implemented this. (Kim's not enamored of the mystery shopping reward because it's often too delayed. Starbucks is working on improving this.)

Getting Russians to exercise. They created a habit loop in most people's daily routines. Ticket booths that you get your ticket for free by doing exercise!

www.tagteach.com (a series of small tag points)

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

Creating a meditation habit -- "after we turn off the tv, I will take three deep breaths." The reward (for the parents) is that they get some quiet time. The routine has become its own reward. Every week, we do three more.

A training program and a technology platform at habit design.org

what is the ideal habit loop for a walking habit? for a meditation practice? what really works in habits?